


fate is never fair

by corvuss



Category: Marvel, Marvel 616
Genre: Angst, Bruce Banner-centric, Deathfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 17:56:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17792060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corvuss/pseuds/corvuss
Summary: From some horrible universe where Bruce Banner finally gets his shit together and has an awesome superhero team with the Hulkfam, but during a fight something takes his/the Hulk's healing factor and he loses his immortality at the worst possible time.





	fate is never fair

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't a happy ending, it's just something the angst demon wanted me to write. So I did.
> 
> Heed the warnings. You know why you came here.

There's a blinding flash in the middle of the fight, and Bruce doesn't think. He forgets about everything else in that moment, just throws himself in front of Rick, who cries out, and the beam hits him full-force, tearing into him like white-hot fire, and he's knocked backwards onto the ground before he can fully comprehend what just happened.

 

 

There's a stunned silence; the whole _world_ seems to stop for a moment, and then Rick's eyes go wide, and he's at his side, desperately scrambling at something -- at -- at -- at the gaping hole in Bruce's chest. The shrapnel sticking out of it every which way, so much it looks _inhuman_.

 

 

"I--" Bruce chokes out, baffled, trying to offer some words of consolation, _something._

 

There's nothing to offer. He knows what he just did.

 

The blood pulses and pools around him and oh _God,_ he's losing a lot at once, and Rick tries to stop it and then Jen's at his side trying to assess the situation and she cries, " _Bruce, what the fuck did you_ ** _do?!_** "

 

 

He coughs, convulsing, and then she latches onto his hand, eyes wild with terror, as if he'll slip away if she doesn't hold on with all her might. He swears he hears his hand crack.

 

 

"I-it's bad, isn't it?" Is all he can muster. "I'll be fine," he supplies lamely. He won't. His healing factor was compromised just a few hours ago, he _knew_ this, damnit Bruce, you _knew this --_

 

 

Rick is shaking, the color drained from his face, but he manages to call the others through the intercom. Bruce catches snippets: "It's Bruce, he's hurt -- come quickly -- I --" and then the device clatters to the ground.

 

 

It's then that Bruce realizes he's dying. For real. He's dying like he should've twenty years ago. Throwing himself in front of an explosion to save Rick Jones. And this time, there's no wild mutation to save him.

 

 

For some reason, he laughs. A year, a whole _year,_ the best of his life, and _this_ is how it ends, of _course_ this his how it ends, it's just his luck, and oh God, he doesn't want to die, for once _he doesn't want to die --_

 

 

His breath is labored, rapid, panicked, and Jen leans over him, her mouth pleading something, _"Bruce, don't--!"_ and he can't parse the rest of the words, his hearing's muffled from the blood rushing through his ears, the blood pooling in his mouth, threatening to drown him in it, warm, sharp, metallic --

 

 

He doesn't Hulk out this time. He can feel the other's panic, the growls in the back of his head, but there's no shift of bones, no healing, just a growing, pressing static, as his vision begins to star, as his breath hitches in his throat, as tears prick at the corners of his eyes -- he's so scared, he's so _scared,_ he doesn't want to _go_ \--

 

 

The universe couldn't let him stay happy for long, he realizes. Of _course_ this was coming. He should've seen it coming from a mile away.

 

 

But he's with his family, and he's suddenly grateful for that, to be surrounded by them as he goes, and the panic subsides to a low simmer as his limbs go fuzzy from lack of circulation. For a second he's warm, eerily calm. It doesn't last; he can feel it coming on now, with a finality it's never carried before, but he's not ready, _he's not ready!_

 

 

He can feel his heartbeat sputter and slow and he spares panicked glances at Jen, at Rick, at Skaar, at Amadeus, and there's a flash of Betty rushing towards him, concern written all over her face and he wants to say _sorry_ , he wants to say _thank you_ , wants to say _I wish I could've stopped it_ , wants to tell each and every one of them how much they mean to him, wishes he had more _time_ , but it's --

 

 

His vision tunnnels, and fades. Oh God, he'll miss them. He's so sorry.

 

 

"Stay with us, Bruce, please--" Jen's voice sounds miles away. He _tries_ , tries to pull himself back to the world, but just feels the corner of his mouth twitch into a shaky smile at the futility of it all. No amount of survival instinct on his or Hulk's part could fight _this_.

 

 

He sends one last message upwards as he sinks into the black, not for his own sake -- he's already gone -- for _theirs'_ :

 

 

_"I love you all."_

 

 

The cold is the last thing he feels.

**Author's Note:**

> Oops.


End file.
